SUE ME, RAFIZI CHALLENGES PM NAJIB OVER RM100B CLAIM

PKR lawmaker says he was alluding to the entire cost of the three phases of the MRT project when he said it would go over RM100 billion.

(FMT) – Rafizi Ramli today challenged the prime minister, the Cabinet and MRT Corp to sue him if he was wrong in claiming the overall cost for the mass rapid transit (MRT) project would surpass RM100 billion.

In throwing down the gauntlet, the PKR vice-president gave Najib Razak seven days to take legal action or apologise for misleading the public.

“Sue me. He can then explain how the cost of the project will not go over RM100 billion,” he said at a press conference at the Invoke Malaysia office here. Invoke is an NGO started by Rafizi.

MRT Corp had called out Rafizi for issuing an inaccurate statement on the cost of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) MRT line.

Barisan Nasional strategic communications director Abdul Rahman Dahlan accused Rafizi of mixing up his facts regarding the cost of the MRT1 project and pointed out that all news reports clearly quoted the prime minister as saying that the cost of RM21 billion was for the entire MRT1 project of 51km.

The prime minister had also said RM2 billion had been saved when carrying out the first phase of the MRT project.

Rafizi, however, said MRT Corp and the government were only addressing the first phase of the project, known as MRT1 whereas he was questioning the total cost of the entire project.

“Till today, the PM and his Cabinet have remained silent over the cost of the entire project that stretches 150km, which Najib said in 2010 would cost RM40 billion, when tabling the national budget.

“They are keeping mum on how the figure has ballooned to RM100 billion.”

Rafizi, however, noted that in a statement, MRT Corp revealed that MRT1 would cost RM21 billion, phase two RM32 bilion and MRT3 about RM50 billion.

“So why is Najib insisting that I am lying?”

The first phase of the MRT project – the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line – was launched last Friday, while phase two, which connects Semantan and Kajang, is scheduled to begin operations on July 31 next year.